In a brilliant stroke of summer event movie counter-programming, TriStar Pictures is opening this weekend a surprisingly satisfying sleeper called "Center Stage" -- about the competitive world of a prestigious ballet academy -- that teenage girls are going to gobble up like so much candy.

Turned away from sold-out blockbusters, they'll drag their dates into this "Fame"-lite crowd-pleaser revolving around ballet students dancing their hearts out for a place in the fictitious American Ballet Company. They'll love the pretty, ingenuous heroine (Amanda Shull) learning to believe in herself and her ability. They'll love the two handsome dancers that vie for her heart. They'll love the spectacular, toe-tapping and beautifully staged production numbers. They'll leave the theater smiling dreamily and make a beeline for the Danskin store.